OXNARD, Calif. – Tight end Dalton Schultz reported to training camp Monday on the one-year, $10.4 million franchise tag, not a new long-term deal he hoped to secure before the July 15 negotiating deadline.
Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones said the team was hopeful to reach a deal before July 15 and remains optimistic that one will be reached after the season, when talks can resume.
"We tried," Jones said. "It wasn't that we weren't necessarily talking about a long-term deal. … Sometimes it's just when you're getting your hands around what this team is not only going to look like this year but look like in the future, then you have to play that hand that way. I certainly understand where Dalton's coming from. He represents everything we want in a Dallas Cowboy, on and off the field. …. He's an available player who plays at a high level.
"So it's not that we didn't want him on a long-term deal. It's just about getting to the right answer on that. And I think we ultimately will. I think Dalton's going to be a long-term Cowboy here.
It just didn't work out to get the long-term part of that figured out this time around."
– Rob Phillips (7/26)
